The Department of Health is to launch a new website on which patients will be able to log ratings for their GP surgery.

Information about the 8,269 GP surgeries in England and Wales will include opening hours, how long it takes to obtain an appointment and how well staff treat patients – although comments considered abusive or which name staff will be removed.

Patients will also be able to recommend their local medical centre to others.

The move follows a government announcement that patients will in the near future be able to register with any GP surgery of their choosing.

The new consumer website follows the launch of a hospital comparison service in the summer and is supported by the Family Doctor Association.

Health Minister Mike O’Brien said the new website allowed every GP practice nationwide to view their patients’ opinions on how well they were doing, in the hope of ‘driving up quality’ among GP services to reflect the needs of the patient.

‘As we open up real choice in primary care, it is vital we equip patients with enough information to make the right choice for them,’ said Mr O’Brien.

‘We recently announced that we intend to abolish GP practice boundaries, building on success in extending GP opening hours – and establishing almost 100 new GP health centres, open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, across the country.’

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